Disposable absorbent articles intended to be worn in the crotch portion of an undergarment are well known. The basic form of such absorbent articles typically includes a bodyside liquid-permeable cover, a garment-side liquid-impermeable baffle, and an absorbent core positioned between the cover and the baffle. Such absorbent articles are now in wide use as sanitary napkins, panty shields, panty liners, and adult incontinence pads. While this invention is directed to all such products, for purposes of simplification, the invention will be described with reference to a sanitary napkin.
Present day commercial products have generally performed well, remaining in place and providing the user with ease of placement and removal. Such products typically use an adhesive strip applied to the garment facing side of the baffle for attachment of the article to the wearer's undergarment. The adhesive strip is covered with a peel strip that is removed by the wearer prior to placing the article in the crotch region of the undergarment. These products are typically folded, for example in a tri-fold configuration, and packaged in individual disposable pouches or the like. A number of the pouches are, in turn, packaged in cartons, soft-side packages, and so forth, which are eventually purchased by the consumer. In other commercial embodiments, the peel strip is omitted and the article is attached directly to the pouch or other wrapper material, wherein the combination is then folded into an individual pouch or package. For use, the wearer opens the pouch, peels the article from the pouch material and places the article in the undergarment. The process of packaging the individual articles adds significantly to the overall cost and materials of the articles.
Rolled articles have been discussed in the art as an alternative to traditional folded packaging techniques. The following references describe various such rolled configurations: EP 1 300 125; EP 0 699 427; U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,582; U.S. Pat. No. 5,986,165; U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,741; U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,282; U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,298; U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,162; U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,528; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,704.
Additionally, the use of adhesives for attaching the articles may present certain drawbacks. For example, the inner crotch surface of an undergarment, to which these products are typically adhered, is continually being distorted, twisted and stretched due to the dynamics of the wearer. As a result, conventional adhesive attachments can detach causing the undesirable consequence of the sanitary napkin moving out of place. Further, while the sanitary napkin frequently reattaches itself, due to the continuing adhesive nature of the pressure sensitive adhesive, reattachment often places the sanitary napkin in an undesirable position wherein the sanitary napkin does not function properly. Additionally, once the adhesives have been exposed and the article placed into the crotch region of the undergarment, it is generally not practical to remove and reposition the article. In an extreme case, the attachment of the adhesive also results in the adhesive folding over on itself and then becoming unavailable for reattachment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,058 describes a sanitary napkin that does not rely on an adhesive to attach to the undergarment, but instead provides an oriented hook fastening material on the article baffle to secure the article in place. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,790 describes an extensible absorbent article that may use mechanical hook material for securing the article to a garment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,457 also describes an absorbent pad utilizing a hook material as the fastening mechanism.
The industry is continually seeking ways to improve feminine care absorbent articles and, in this light, articles that offer an improved attachment mechanism that compliments a more beneficial and economic packaging process would be desirable.